


Not too sweet

by Holyangelheart



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Chocolate, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Miscommunication, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-15 14:58:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13615797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holyangelheart/pseuds/Holyangelheart
Summary: Shiro wants to confess to Keith for Valentine's Day the way he remembered being confessed to. He gets the foolproof idea to ask Keith for help with his confession. What could go wrong? A lot of things, actually. My Sheithlentine's entry forElliot!





	Not too sweet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DianaSolaris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianaSolaris/gifts).



> Thank you, [Justine](http://http://flusteredkeith.tumblr.com/) for betaing this!

Valentine’s Day, the day celebrated for love and couples. A day Shiro never participated in besides the chocolate he often found inside his locker with letters that led to confessions that inevitably ended in tears. When he moved to the U.S. in high school with his family, he thought he would finally get to avoid the lovey-dovey event. Sadly, he was wrong.

At least in Japan, he mostly had to worry about Valentine’s Day for a few hours. For White Day he would give the same generic chocolate rose to everyone who wasn’t too heartbroken to see his face. He never expected that in the U.S. it was a lot—lot worse.

The front of the campus was crowded as vendors lined the sidewalks hoping to make sales through the special occasion. Everything was pink, red, and white; the colors of love. Tomorrow, the school would be full of helium filled balloons and hundreds of red thornless roses. Everything was bright. Too bright.

No one can avoid the color of love. But this year, he had a plan. For once in his life, Shiro was going to use Valentine’s Day to confess his love for him. Using the same honmei chocolate so close to his heart.

Except there was one thing Takashi Shirogane forgot: he can’t cook at all.

\---

Inside the student lounge, the two of them sat across from each other. They hid in the room with the four vending machines, snacking on a pack of cupcakes with the white squiggle on top. A bottle of Dr. Pepper sat beside him while his friend took a swig from his bottle of Coke.

Graceful was all that came to mind. He licked his lips as he watched, his eyes lingering on the other’s pursed lips a few seconds longer than it should. He needed to jump the gun and just ask him already. His plan was perfect, and nothing could go wrong. He hoped.

Another swig of coke and another minute of awkward staring. He coughed and chugged the light blue liquid. “So…uh, I have a favor to ask.”

“Hm…?” His friend asked as he licked the chocolate crumbs from his fingers. “What’s wrong?”

He laughed, trying not to stare. “Valentine’s Day is on Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah?” He asked, his eyebrow raised.

“I was wondering if you could help me make some chocolate sweets…”

“What?”

The snap in his voice caused his eyes to widen slightly, maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. “Uh, remember that honmei chocolate I told you about last week?”

Keith nodded, wiping his hands with a napkin.

“Well,” Shiro started. “I tried to make some during the weekend and it turns out that chocolate can…burn…”

Keith stared at him and Shiro could feel his judgment in waves. With a sigh, Keith propped his head up with his right hand. “I’ve never made chocolate before. You should ask Hunk…”

“I can’t—”

“Why?”

“I want to make it with you…”

Once again, Keith stared at him. His lips were slightly parted before turning into a thin line. He pinched the bridge of his nose, mulling his request over. This was the most distraught he had ever seen Keith one-on-one. He thought this plan was fool proof. He frowned. “It’s fine, Keith. I’m not going to force you to do it.”

“No, it’s just…” Keith paused, his eyes focused on the table between them. His lips moved as if he was having difficulty collecting his thoughts. “Honmei chocolate is for confessing your feelings, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you want…my help?” Keith asked.

Shiro frowned. “Is something wrong, Keith?”

“No,” he said. “No, no…nothing’s wrong, Shiro. What did you have in mind?”

“I was going to make a chocolate heart, but I didn’t know that chocolate heart molds were necessary…”

Keith’s eyes twitched slightly, but with an exhaled breath, he smiled at him. “I don’t have any tools in the dorm room for chocolate, but Hunk might have something we can use.”

“Good thinking, Keith,” he said. “I knew I could rely on you.”

“…Thanks, Shiro.”

“You’re the best. How does later today sound? I’ll come by your dorm after my evening class.”

“Mhm, sure.”

“Keith…?” Shiro asked as he stood from the table. He slipped his backpack on and reached for his Dr. Pepper. “Don’t you have a class in a bit?”

“Huh?” Keith looked up at him. It felt like hours since the last time their eyes had met, but he couldn’t read him at all. “Oh yeah, I’ll leave in a sec.”

He frowned. “You sure?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll get up in a minute,” he said with a smile. “I just want to…sit here for a bit.”

Keith didn’t mind being late, but it felt different. It felt…wrong.

“I don’t…”

“Shiro,” Keith said. “Let me be.”

He stopped in the doorway of the vending machine room, looking back at Keith. He didn't move at all. He just sat there, his head tilted downwards as he gazed at the table. Shiro wanted to turn around and comfort him. Yet, he knew he shouldn't. Who hurt him?

His phone buzzed, and he felt his legs moving towards his classroom in the next building over. He needed to make sure to ask Keith in detail when he lets him.

Hours passed, and classes were normal. School only started the month before so most of the students were still settling in.

After his evening class, he was finally able to cruise. Shiro dug into his backpack for his phone and then leaned back into the office chair.

A message lit up the screen:

_Meet me at Hunk’s dorm as soon as possible — Keith._

Shiro chuckled to himself. It was always a highlight of his day whenever Keith signed his name despite his phone remembering Keith’s number.

Shiro was the last to leave the classroom, not surprised by the students lounging right outside. Probably waiting for him to leave so they can wait inside. He never lingered long enough to find out.

From that building, Hunk's dorm was all the way on the other side of campus. Why couldn't he live closer? Shiro groaned.

Still, he perked up at the thought of putting his plan to action. This time tomorrow he would be risking his heart. He'll probably die, but…

Keith's worth it.

Before he could plunge himself into a deep sadness, Shiro slapped his cheeks and ran. He ran and ran until he was forced to pull open the door to enter the dorm building. He was panting and had worked up a sweat.

People were looking at him, but avoiding him at the same time. They had a look of unease; he didn't blame them. He looked how he felt.

"Shiro?"

He looked up. Keith looked back. His eyebrows were knitted together, and his lips parted.

"Dude, did you run here?" Keith asked. He reached for him, resting a comforting hand on the small of his back. "I told you to come asap, but I didn't mean for you to run—Shiro?!"

His body moved on its own. He held him close to his chest. For a moment, everything felt perfect. Then everything was gone like a feather in a sudden gust of wind.

"Shiro, people...people are staring," Keith whispered into his ear.

He snapped up, lifting his hands so fast that they burned. "Aha…ha…"

"Shiro, are you feeling okay? Do you have a fever?" Keith asked.

Around them the other students were staring. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Shiro pulled Keith towards the stairwell to walk upstairs to Hunk's room. He couldn't look at Keith, but he could feel Keith's worried gaze on his neck. Keith probably had something to say, but he couldn't and Shiro didn't blame him.

What the fuck was wrong with him? Feeling so overwhelmed to hug Keith out of the blue like that? Valentine's Day must be getting to him.

"So, Shiro, what's wrong?" Keith asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Keith. I'm perfectly fine," Shiro said. He touched Keith's elbow to guide him to Hunk's door. He pulled the door open and moved to the side, letting Keith go inside first like the gentleman he is.

Inside the room, Hunk stood behind the small island in his kitchen. It was the biggest kitchen of any of the rooms in the dorm. Shiro hadn't seen the dorms on the other side of the campus, but he had a feeling that Hunk might have the biggest one in the entire school. Being a double major for engineering and culinary arts, he needed a lot of space to practice.

Laid out on the counter behind the island were a bunch of different silicone molds. There were different heart sizes and planet ones as well. Bags of chocolate candy melts in milk, dark, and white chocolate flavors as well as the necessary equipment sat in a row. Everything looked pristine, nothing was out of place and Hunk would be able to name everything without being able to see.

"Shiro!" Hunk said. He welcomed him with a smile and Shiro returned the gesture. He pointed at each item individually, explaining what they're for. Shiro barely listened as he watched Keith nod at everything Hunk said, his phone in his hand as he typed along. Keith was taking it very seriously. He really should too.

"So where do you want to do it, Shiro?" Keith asked.

The question was so sudden, that Shiro took a second to register what he was saying. "Do…Do what?" He asked.

"What's wrong? You sound breathless all of a sudden."

"Uh...I forgot how to breathe?" Shiro said, making it sound like a question he didn't have an answer to. "I'm fine, Keith. You don't have to worry about me, I promise."

Keith hummed, turning away to look at Hunk. For the whole conversation, Hunk stared at the two of them. Still, he said nothing and returned to explaining a recipe he handwritten for the two of them.

Frowning, Shiro looked at the jumbled words on the paper. Sure, he understood physics well and could calculate the distance between Earth and Mars, but cooking was beyond him. He could make a decent meal no problem but baking only resulted in burnt food and tears. It was his only fatal flaw. "So, my place or yours?"

"U-Uh mine," he said. His face looked flushed as he took a deep breath and grinned. "Your place has seen enough damage for one week."

"Cheeky," Shiro said.

"Let's go? Thank you, Hunk," Keith said to him. He placed everything into a red and black tote bag and embraced Hunk. "Thanks, I knew I could rely on you."

"What about me?" Shiro asked.

"You're the one who requested my help when you're confessing for someone. You don't get a hug."

Shiro pouted. "Aw, Keith, buddy, my favorite person in the whole wide world, I thought I always deserved a hug."

"You got one downstairs, pal."

“…Fine.”

\---

Keith's room was further down the hall from Hunk's and when he unlocked it to let him in, he realized that it was a lot cleaner than his now. Keith's room was simple, much like his own. There was a brown couch and a small flat screen TV on top of a coffee table. The remote control was beside it and a few of the DVDs he enjoyed watching from time to time. Movies like Star Wars and Treasure Planet along with Titan A.E. sat on the shelf. A thin layer of dust stuck to the screen. Shiro couldn't help but run a finger along it before wiping it on his pants.

Ahead of him was a simple top desk that rested against the window. It was short enough that he didn't need to worry about accidentally scratching the glass. A small tiny cactus livened up the black wood underneath it. Keith loved that cactus and called it Red. On top of the desk was his laptop, plugged in but the extension cord was turned off. A stack of his text books was placed in an office box on the floor; close enough to reach.

Beside the desk was a tall generic black lamp. A black bookshelf, the same color as the desk, sat on the other side. It was full. Each shelf had a different theme as Keith read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy. There was also a couple of manga series and Japanese language textbooks. Shiro never saw those before, but the spine had a sticky note on it with the kanji for part of his name.

"Shiro? You done looking around?" Keith asked from inside his small kitchen area. When Keith applied to live in the dorm, he listed that he wouldn't really be cooking that much so it was only slightly bigger than his own. There was no island, but the counter space was more than enough. At least, that's what Keith always told him whenever they bumped into each other when reaching for utensils.

"Yeah, this place is pretty clean."

Keith laughed. The sound resonated throughout Shiro's body, leaving a tingling sensation akin to being tickled with a soft feather. "I cleaned it before you got here, dude. I'm not that clean."

"Simple and clean, though, bro. Simple and clean just how I like it."

Keith rolled his eyes and laid out the items from his tote bag. He took out a simple nonstick pot and a tinier pot to put inside. "So, I've never made chocolate anything before that didn't come from a box mix."

"What's a box mix?" Shiro asked.

For a second, Shiro wasn't sure if Keith was going to answer his question or not, but he assumed the latter. "I'm...kidding. Ahahaha. We don't have to do anything hard. I mean, it's the thinking that counts...right?"

"Mhm, you're right," Keith said. "Do you have anything in mind? I'm not sure what honmei chocolates look like. You're the expert."

"Uh…Honmei chocolate depends on the person, I think? I don't know. Usually they're solid chocolate in heart shapes. One time someone made cookies," Shiro explained. He looked at the ingredients before him and he stretched, cracking his back a little. "What do you like? What's your favorite Valentine's Day chocolate…uh, bro?"

"I don't eat sweets that much, so I'm not sure,” Keith said. He studied the dark chocolate melts on top of the counter. “I do like semi-sweet and dark chocolate though.”

"Good to know," Shiro replied. He looked at the white chocolate ones that were pushed off to the side a bit. "What about white chocolate? I like them whenever I want a sweeter flavor."

Keith tilted his head in thought as if trying to remember what they taste like. "Hm, too sweet for me, but that's good to know."

Shiro nodded and the two gazed at the ingredients and supplies before them. "What does the recipe say?"

From his tote bag, Keith unfolded the recipe that had Hunk's handwriting on it. The script was done in a rush, but it was still written well. A lot better than most college students in Shiro's opinion. It seemed to be a simple chocolate recipe where they most just melt the chocolate candies and pour them into the silicone mold that they want. The difficult parts would be the temperatures and making sure they don't burn. Otherwise, they didn't need to do anything a master chocolatier would need to do.

Shiro expected more, but that was probably his own misconception of the level of skill the two of them possess.

"I have a box mix of devil chocolate cake and brownies. We can make something else if you're disappointed," Keith said.

"Huh?" Shiro asked. He looked at Keith whom was leaning against the counter, his chin propped up on his right hand as he gazed up at him from an angle. Was there something on his face? "N-No these are fine. Thanks for going through a lot of trouble for me, Keith."

Keith's eyes widened slightly before he stood up straight and twisted his torso slightly to stretch. "You don't gotta thank me, Shiro."

Shiro shook his head. "But I do, Keith."

He looked away, his voice so low that Shiro couldn't hear him properly. "I'd...do anything for you…"

"What?" Shiro whispered. His eyes softened, but he knew he must have heard him wrong.

A wave of his hand and a shake of his head. "Nothing, nothing."

“Alright,” he said.

"So, box mix or nah?" Keith asked, again. He reached for the cabinets above the counter and showed the two that he mentioned. The Devil's Food cake looked good, but he barely remembered eating brownies in Japan. He was sure he did, but maybe he wasn't remembering properly. A batch of freshly baked brownies would surely jog his memory.

Just thinking about it made his mouth water slightly. "How about the brownies? Or the cake? Which one seems more heartfelt?"

"It depends on what the person likes. By the way, you never did tell me who you're going to confess to tomorrow."

It was a simple question, yet a rush of heat went through his entire body. His face must have been beet red as he started fumbling with his words and couldn't remember how to speak English. "U-UH—"

Keith looked at him, putting both box mixes onto the counter roughly. He stared at it for a few seconds as Shiro hyperventilated. He reached for the silicone molds and brushed his hands over them. "I'm just curious. I thought that'd be the most important part."

"Y-You, uh, you…" Shiro looked away. "You don't know them, so I think it would be hard for you to remember the name."

"Really? Try me." Now Keith was facing him. His arms were folded across his chest and his gaze was intense. Suddenly it felt like an interrogation and Keith was playing the bad cop like in American cop movies that he occasionally enjoyed.

At any moment, Shiro felt as though Keith would start tapping his feet if he waited any longer. "Why do I have to explain myself to you, Keith?" Shiro asked.

"What?" Keith replied. Pain flashed in his eyes. Oh no.

"I don't see why it's so important to you, Keith. Who I like isn't something you are obligated to know," Shiro continued. His mouth kept moving, but he didn't want it to. Why was he saying these things? All Keith wanted was a name, but no matter what he couldn't make one out of thin air. His brain kept shouting for him. Shouting to make him stop spouting such mean things. What he truly wanted to say was Keith. He wanted to shout his name from the rooftops of every single building on campus, so everyone knew who his heart belonged to. Yet, as the person he wanted to devote his entire being to stood before him, his words only gave way to pain.

"I'm…" Keith looked down at the counter. His hands were balled into fists, but he released them. "You're right, Shiro. It's none of my business. I hope that whoever you confess to accepts your feelings."

"Keith, I-I'm sorry," he tried to say.

"No, no, you're right and I'm wrong. Just…Let's just make these, 'kay?" Keith asked. He reached for the heart molds that had different sizes. "I think that multiple small ones would be good. That way it's not hard for them to chew and you can even do different flavors if you want to."

Shiro's shoulders sagged. His neck felt tense as if there was a knot somewhere in his body. "I want to do semi-sweet this time. To hopefully...sweeten up the mood."

Keith nodded and grabbed the semi-sweet chocolate candies and began melting them. "Do you want to watch me do it? You can go sit down or something and you can help me with the mold part."

Shiro shook his head. "Nah, I want to help as much as I can. It's the least that I can do since I'm the one confessing after all. I'm…sorry, for my outburst, Keith."

"I'm…sorry too, Shiro. I truly wish that you two can be happy together."

"Happy…" Shiro frowned at the word. The person he loved and cherished the most was standing before him. He didn't need to do such a big confession. He could have easily just confessed on any other day of the year. He could also just buy from one of the vendors outside of the school or any grocery store down the street. There was no reason for him to go to such an extreme and to make Keith unhappy through all of it? There was something wrong with him. "Keith, I’m—Keith?!"

Tears fell from Keith's eyes and Shiro felt his heart fall. "I…I don't know what's happening," Keith confessed.

"Keith, I'm sorry," Shiro said.

Keith shook his head as he wiped the overflowing tears from his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Shiro. I think you need to leave, sorry."

Shiro stood there, his legs felt numb. Keith pointed to the door, facing away from him. "Keith, I—"

"Please," Keith begged. "I'll make the chocolates for you and I'll…deliver them after class. Just get out."

Without saying another word, Shiro walked out the door.

\---

"You're an idiot," Lance whispered as he sat in Shiro's office chair, his legs around the back. "You're a dumbass, man."

"I know, okay?" Shiro groaned. He paced around his room, picking up things that were out of place and making sure everything was spotless.

"No, I don't think you know, dude. I think you thought you had a brilliant plan and didn't expect anything to go wrong and now you made Keith, my buddy, cry. You're an idiot."

He had his face in his hands. "I know."

Lance swiveled around in the chair. "I don't fucking care, dude. Until you make everything better, I'm going to keep repeating it. You're a fucking dumbass. You made Keith Kogane cry. In fact, nothing you do or say can save you now. You're screwed, and I hope he rejects your ass."

Appearing from the kitchen was the one and only Pidge whom held a leftover pepperoni pizza in her hands. "For once, I agree with Lance. That just shows how screwed you are, Shiro."

"Both of you are right," Shiro said with a frown. "But I don't know how to make it better."

"You get up and you go confess to him. Like right now," Lance said.

Pidge nodded, gobbling the slice of pizza down like a gremlin. "Keith deserves to know the truth."

Shiro groaned, "Keith kicked me out. I don't think he ever wants to see me again guys."

"Let's not be that dramatic," Pidge said. She plopped down onto Shiro's bed that sat in the bottom right corner of his room, her shoes still on. "If he hated you that much, I'm sure he would have ended your friendship right then and there. Probably kick your ass out literally."

"You're right, you're absolutely right."

"We're always right," Lance added. "You'd die without us, man."

Shiro sat down on the edge of his bed, Pidge immediately propped her feet up on his lap. He didn't move to stop her. "I don't think he wants me to bother him right now. I should give him some time."

"Yeah, that way he kicks you later instead of sooner," Lance said.

Pidge shrugged. "What do you plan to do about your honmei chocolate? I doubt Keith's going to finish it for you after that incident."

He pulled out his phone and pulled up the times for the local stores. "Time to go shopping."

"Dude..." The two said in unison.

"I know."

At the closest grocery store, the trio searched through every aisle looking for the ingredients needed to make the sweets, not realizing in their haste that most of the things could be found in a single area. It was a beautiful chaotic mess of hushed screaming and a mysterious clock ticking somewhere in the background. For the silicone molds, he went to the closest craft store and was able to find multiple silicone molds and equipment that the grocery store lacked. The three of them tried to beat the imaginary clock before the store would shut its doors. They didn't make a mess and had two hours to spare before the craft store closed.

Once they returned to campus, Lance and Pidge went off on their own to do things that Shiro was too distracted to catch. Leaving him alone with heavy grocery bags that were probably excessive.

Shiro's dorm was on the opposite end of campus from Keith and Hunk. He had a gnawing feeling that Lance and Pidge might have went there instead of helping him. They probably wanted Keith's side of the story, so they could snicker or pity him later. Thankfully his room was on the first floor; the perks of being a senior.

He practically threw all the bags into the room, shutting the door behind him.

Now as he stood in his kitchen, Shiro felt like he understood true fear for once. It was all or nothing. The stakes were high, and he could risk it all. Either Keith would accept his feelings or possibly end their friendship forever. There was also a chance that Keith could get food poisoning, too. He’d literally combust if that happened because he would never be able to recover from such a horrific event.

Shiro cracked his knuckles and wiggled his fingers. It was time for him to bake. He was ready to sell his soul if it meant not burning down the entire dorm just to profess his love.

He probably wouldn't be able to make the chocolates correctly or as good as Keith or Hunk, but he was going to try. Plus, Shiro had something else up his sleeve.

Shiro pulled the sleeves up on his black button-down shirt, exposing his upper arms. Things were going to get messy.

Shiro followed the recipes he found as perfectly as possible. He bought measuring spoons and cups for the first time. Everything was washed with warm soapy water and dried first, of course. Hunk would be pissed if he didn’t do that step first.

Afterwards, he took out a bunch of semi-sweet and dark chocolate bars then chopped them up in two separate piles. Next, Shiro placed the semi-sweet chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and used a different bowl for the dark. He used twenty second increments until the chocolate completely melted.

When it was done, Shiro took the bowl to the counter where a heart silicone mold waited. It was just like the one Keith was using. He slowly poured the chocolate into each heart in the mold, making sure to leave some room. Then, Shiro tapped the mold against the counter a few times gently so the chocolate would even out and there wouldn’t be any air bubbles. He then set them aside at room temperature.

All night long, Shiro did his best to make things right. By the time he finished his special sweets and wrapped them, the birds were chirping. The sun was already high in the sky, thus he missed his first class.

Crap.

\---

"Shiro? Open the door! Shiro!"

In the back of his mind, Shiro could hear a voice calling his name. The voice belonged to someone familiar, but he just rolled over and closed his eyes again.

"Shiro, if you don't open the door right now, I'm going to tell Keith about how you have his picture in your wallet!"

That woke him up.

Before the person could say another word, Shiro lumbered over to the door and opened it. The black button-down shirt he wore the night before was now wrinkled and one sleeve hung over his hand while the other was pushed up still. He scratched his stomach and yawned. "What?"

"Dude? How long have you been sleeping? It's already afternoon! You've missed three classes," Hunk said. "And that's not even the bad news."

"Shit," Shiro said. He turned around and started to comb his fingers through his bedhead. He walked into his closet and reappeared in a black and red varsity jacket that he bought at the school's bookstore. He hastily pulled on baggy grey sweatpants and brushed his teeth too.

Hunk stood in the middle of his room, watching as Shiro sprayed himself with cologne in hope of masking possible odors. He looked normal by the time he finally reached the kitchen and started to load things into his black cooler. "Shiro?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you gonna ask me the bad news?" Hunk asked, his arms crossed.

"What's the bad news, Hunk?" Hhe asked.

"Keith's been asking for you, man. He looked on edge, he visited each of your classes today looking for you."

Shiro paused. He was suddenly hyper aware of the darkening sky and the chocolate in his bag. Things just weren't going his way at all today. He rushed to grab his phone, seeing that he had two missing calls from Keith and five text messages. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk also sent him a couple of texts and he didn't have time to look at any of them but Keith's.

Keith's messages were about asking him where he was. And if he knew Keith well, he would stubbornly be at his next class as well. Which would start in…five minutes. "Sorry, Hunk, but I have to leave."

Hunk was already waiting outside in the hall. He shrugged as Shiro grabbed his keys. "Make sure to lock the door on your way out."

He never noticed it before, but the school was covered in Valentine's Day decorations. All the halls had paper hearts in different colors and some areas had streamers too. In “C” building, the decorations were crazier. People carried balloons the colors of love and some had stuffed animals. A lot of the students were holding hands as they walked and the level of public displays of affection were high. It was terrifying.

Shiro didn't have time to focus on those things. People were getting telegrams of secret admirers and some also got love songs from a guy carry an ukulele around campus. He wanted to run, but he was forced to dip and walk around people who wouldn't move. He climbed the stairs to the third floor as the elevator was busy. He barely broke a sweat as he reached the top of the stairs and was luckily right next to his classroom and the lounge area.

Sitting in one of the chairs in the corner was Keith, his backpack sat on the last chair and he had headphones on underneath the hood of his black and red varsity jacket—the same one Shiro was wearing. Shiro breathed his name as he approached him, "Keith."

Keith didn't move so Shiro did. He tapped Keith soft yet firmly on his shoulder. He looked up at him with slight annoyance at first, but his expression melted once he recognized who stood in front of him. "Shiro!"

"Shhh," Shiro held a finger to his lips and wrapped his hand around Keith's right wrist. "Let's go."

"What?" Keith asked. He pushed his headphones and hood down before reaching for his backpack. "I can wait until your class is over."

Shiro shook his head and lifted the hood on Keith's jacket, then did the same for himself. "I have better plans. Follow me, please?"

Keith seemed stunned as that look of shock crossed his face just like the day before when Shiro hugged him randomly. A lopsided smile appeared on his lips and Shiro tried not to fall under his spell. "Alright."

"We gotta sneak since we're skipping..." Shiro whispered as he opened the door to the stairwell. "Luckily I'm late so they won't notice us here."

"Yeah, Lance said he's going to kick your ass tomorrow," Keith whispered back. Their voices echoed slightly, and they tried not to stomp all the way down to the first floor. "Pidge said you owe her for the notes you've missed."

Shiro sighed, but smiled. Their friends were always reliable when he needed them. "I'll thank them all tomorrow. Now, just follow me. I have a place in mind for us to hide at."

Keith sighed at that and just followed closely behind him. Once they exited the stairwell, Shiro grabbed his wrist again, but Keith slipped his hand into his instead. When Shiro looked at him with shock, Keith just coughed. "It'll be easier to hide if we blend into the crowd."

"S-Smart," Shiro said, trying not to melt at his touch and not focus on the fact that Keith's hand was incredibly warm. A tingling sensation spread throughout his body and he felt as light as a feather. "It's this way."

They travelled the rest of the way in silence. They passed by multiple vendors selling Valentine's Day items and people cuddling. Shiro entered A building which was almost completely deserted. The school's library resided there on the first floor and off to the left of it was a student lounge that was mostly for teachers and student aids since it lacked the good vending machines and proper seating like the student lounge in B building. The couches were a lot more comfortable and was more of a booth like in a diner. Students and faculty alike were too busy engaging or avoiding the lovey-dovey environment today, so they had the place for themselves.

Shiro chose the booth in the farthest corner. He let Keith pick his side, choosing to face the wall so that Shiro would sit across from him. Keith missed more classes than he did, so Shiro didn't mind facing the entrance.

"So..." Keith started to say. He looked up at him and frowned a bit. "I apologize for my actions last night, I overreacted."

"I'm the one who's sorry—!" Shiro shouted. "I was selfish and asked you to help me. I could have just bought chocolates instead and saved you the trouble."

Keith shook his head. "I didn't mind you asking me, Shiro. That's not what pissed me off."

Shiro lost his thought process at that. It didn't occur to him at all that Keith got _pissed_. Before he could continue, Keith reached into his backpack and pulled out two bags of sheer fabric. The white bag held chocolate hearts inside while the black bag had Earth-shaped chocolates that were dark chocolate with white chocolates swirled around the middle. "I promised to make the chocolates for you, so I did, but…I wanted to make something different. Shiro, I—"

"Keith, wait, there's…something I need to tell you," Shiro said, cutting him off. "I lied."

Keith stopped. "What?"

Instead of answering right away, Shiro took something out from his cooler bag. He covered his entire hand around it, only revealing the item when he placed it into Keith's hand. "I'm sorry."

Inside Keith's hand was a red sheer fabric bag that contained chocolate hearts a little messier than the ones Keith presented. "I don't understand..."

Shiro looked down at Keith's hands and then Keith's face. "I'm an idiot. I thought it was a good idea for me to trick you into helping me prepare my confession. I didn't think you'd get mad and I thought we could spend some time together too."

"Shiro…?"

"Keith, these honmei chocolates are for you. You're the one that I like," Shiro said.

The confusion on Keith's face lingered. His mouth opened and closed multiple times and Shiro braced himself for rejection.

"Lance was right," Keith said. He took out one of the Earth-shaped chocolates and studied it. "You're an idiot."

"What—?” Shiro was cut off as Keith pushed the chocolate to his lips. Shiro took a bite, flustered. It was delicious and quite sweet. He enjoyed the mix of the two chocolates. “Keith?”

“My honmei chocolate,” Keith answered.

“Oh,” Shiro said. It took a minute for his words to process. “ _Oh_.”

“Yeah,” Keith said. He looked down at the chocolates in his hand and took one out. He placed one to his own lips and smiled. “Not too sweet.”

Right as Shiro was about to say something, one of his professors suddenly entered. He ducked, pulling the hood of his jacket closer to his face. He pulled the drawstrings to close the hood around most of his face in hopes of going unnoticed.

Keith stared at him, confused as to why Shiro became a cocoon, but once he glanced back, he understood. There wasn’t anything he could do but watch and wait. Luckily, the teacher took their cold Frappuccino drink and pack of KitKats and left. “That was a close one.”

The sounds of students chatting grew louder as some passed by the door. Classes were ending and soon the lounge would become busy. Shiro took off his hood and used his arm to push everything on the table into his cooler bag. “Keith, we should leave.”

“Huh?” Keith asked, dark chocolate melting on his fingers. Despite his confusion, Keith stood, ready to go. “Where to?”

Shiro grinned and grabbed Keith’s other hand. “I’ve got another surprise for you.”

Hand in hand, the two jogged across campus. The sun was slowly dropping through the sky, the clouds tinted in shades of pink. It was breathtaking and warm, a surprising occurrence as the sky behind them quickly grew dark. They didn’t look back.

Inside the dorm, the halls were empty. His room was safe and secure. Keith immediately moved to sit on Shiro’s bed, stretching his arms and legs. The place was just as messy as Shiro left it the day before, but Keith was used to it. “Now what?”

Shiro was grateful that Keith didn’t go into the kitchen instead. He took everything out of the cooler bag and placed them on the counter next to the sink. “Hold on, I need to clean a bit.”

“Hmm,” Keith hummed in reply. He waited as Shiro washed his dishes and put them into the drying rack. The sound of pots banging and Shiro cursing as he dropped something on the floor caused him to stand up in concern. “Shiro, do you need help…? Oh.”

The kitchen was a mess, but not in the way he had expected. Rather than finding strange colored liquids splattered on all the walls or oil build up from the stove, he found remnants of the chocolate mess he had in his own kitchen. There were silicone molds drying in the rack, different sized spoons and some melted chocolate drips on the counter next to his microwave. There was also egg shells and a bottle of oil there too. “You know, you didn’t need to make chocolate for me.”

“Hm?” Shiro stopped. “Well, I…wanted my confession to be special.”

Keith laughed. He leaned against Shiro’s refrigerator and grinned. “I’m a simple guy, Shiro. I’m content with just spending time with you.”

“I wanted to make you something, Keith.”

“I’m content with a $3 box mix of cake or brownies.”

A large smile spread across Shiro’s face. “ _Good_.”

Keith watched as Shiro took out a cake from the fridge. It was the Devil’s Food Cake that he had in his cabinet. He chuckled. “Jeez, you’re unbelievable, Shiro.”

Shiro pouted as he placed the cake on the counter. He grabbed a large knife and cut through the cake as best as he could. “I’ve never baked before, so I don’t know if I did it correctly…”

Keith was ready with a paper plate and plastic fork he quickly found from the cabinet closest to the microwave. “I’ve messed up before too. Don’t worry about it, Shiro.”

Shiro urged Keith to take the first bite. He watched nervously as Keith slowly moved the fork towards his mouth. He stopped every inch, his eyes full of mirth as he gauged Shiro’s reaction. He groaned. “Keith, please.”

Keith chuckled and finally took a bite. "It's delicious."

"Really?" Shiro asked.

"Surprisingly, yeah," he said. He chuckled as Shiro pouted. "It tastes exactly the same as when I make it."

"That's good then, right?" He asked.

Keith cut into the slice with his fork and offered it to Shiro. "Try it."

Shiro smiled and took the bite eagerly. He tried not to gush about the indirect kiss, but it was hard. "It's good."

"You sound surprised," Keith laughed.

"I am."

Keith rolled his eyes and took another bite of the chocolatey goodness. For the rest of the day, the two lounged on Shiro's bed as they watched TV.

Shiro would never agree with Keith about that day being their first date, but the argument would never last long as Shiro would melt at Keith's smile whenever he retold the story. On White Day, Keith took Shiro out to the movies and the two went home to Keith's room and cooked dinner together for the first time.

It wasn't the last.

 


End file.
